Last Time Out: After keeping pace with Oregon State in the first half of their Dec. 18, game in Corvallis, Ore. the Redhawks suffered a second half breakdown that cost them their first Pacific-10 victory since reclassifying into Division I status. SU fell 64-48 to the Beavers.
It was a tale of two halves, as the first 20 was even keeled, but OSU stymied the Redhawks with 38 rebounds, including 18 offensive boards. They were able to control the pace of the game in the second half and garner a strong point cushion to prevent SeattleU from earning their first road win on the year.
On Deck: Following a short hiatus for Christmas, the Redhawks will reunite for a pair of games in California to close out 2009. They will take on Cal Poly, on Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 2 p.m. and Loyola Marymount, on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 5 p.m. before returning to the Emerald City.
Follow the Game: Fans be sure to log onto www.GoSeattleU.com to follow all your Redhawk women's basketball action. Live stats from Boise State will be available. Live audio and video streaming will also be available.
McCarthy Scores Season-High at OSU: Sophomore Maggie McCarthy scored a season-high 15 points at Oregon State on Dec. 18. She went 6-for-10 from the field and went 2-for-3 from the charity stripe in 24 minutes of play. She had four rebounds and an assist in the contest, as well.
This season the Redhawk forward is averaging 8.6 points and 2.4 assists per game. She is leading the squad with 5.7 boards per game in 14 straight starts.
Keeping Pace with Pac-10 Opponents: This year the Redhawks have faced two Pacific-10 opponents, beginning with the University of Washington on Dec. 9, and most recently Oregon State on Dec. 18. Versus UW, SU was the stronger team on the court, but a couple miscues by the offense allowed the Huskies to take a 58-53 edging over the Redhawks.
At OSU, the first half was a neck-and-neck race. SeattleU held the lead after a 12-2 run in the first, but they allowed Beavers counter with 38 rebounds, including 18 offensive boards in the game. The home team had a multitude of second chances, which prevented SU from gaining any second half rhythm and allowed Oregon State to earn a 64-48 victory.
Despite going 0-2 versus teams from a top-flight conference, the Redhawks showed that they are able to play at high caliber and looking forward they will challenge these teams for the "W".
Kerfoot Earns First Starting Nod of the Year: After missing the first leg of the 2009-10 campaign, sophomore Elle Kerfoot earned her first starting nod of the season at Oregon State on Dec. 18. She scored a second-best 10 points and had three assists in 35 minutes of action.
She made her return to the lineup on Dec. 14, versus Saint Mary's College. The Surrey, B.C. native played 27 off the bench minutes, and posted four points, three steals, a defensive rebound and an assist. The following evening, the SU guard looked to find her rhythm in 25 minutes of play versus Evergreen State. She was the third-leading scorer with 15 points, and she dished out an assist and had a defensive rebound.
Four-Game Road Swing: The Redhawks will take to the road for four games to close out the first half to the 2009-10 schedule. They will begin at Oregon State on Dec. 18, followed by a final pre-holiday trip to Boise State on Dec. 21. To close out 2009, SU will play a pair of games in the Golden State. On Dec. 29, SeattleU will tip off against Cal Poly and close out the road swing with Loyola Marymount on Dec. 30.
Scouting Boise State: The Broncos of Boise State (9-3) host the Redhawks after defeating Santa Clara 75-67 on Dec. 19, in Boise, Idaho. Jessica Van Hoogen scored a team-leading 19 points, including going 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Both Tasha Harris and Julie Marshall each scored 12 points, and Janie Bos led the team with seven boards versus the California-based Broncos. BSU scored 21 of their points off of turnovers, nine points from second chances and fast breaks tallied eight jumpers.
This season the Broncos are outscoring opponents 73.2 to 67.1, but are currently experiencing their roughest patch of their season thus far. Boise State has gone 2-3 in their last five games, after going 7-0 to start the season.
Leading BSU is Van Hoogen, who is averaging 17.7 points in 28.4 minutes of play. Harris is the only other Bronco averaging double-digit points with 16.8 points in 30.3 minutes on the floor. Top rebounding honors goes to Bos, who's averaging 6.2 boards in 12 starts on the year.
In their last meeting, SU fell at BSU 66-56 on Nov. 14, 2008. After going into halftime tied at 27, the Broncos were able to garner a 10 point cushion to hand SU a season-opening loss. In the game, Chelsie Morrison scored a team-leading 19 points, while Tatiana Heck added 12 and Mercedes Alexander had eight rebounds. The Redhawks are 2-4 all-time versus the Broncos.
Game 14 Recap - Oregon State
Dec. 18, 2009 - L 48-64
After a strong and even keeled first half, the Seattle University women's basketball team was unable to hang on to earn their first Pacific-10 victory since reclassifying into Division I status. The Redhawks fell 64-48 to Oregon State University Friday evening in Corvallis, Ore.
After missing four consecutive field goal attempts to kick off the game, OSU turned around four points in 20 seconds. Despite the early point deficit, SU gained their composure amidst the sea of orange and black. Beginning with a layup from senior Cassidy Murillo and four points from Maggie McCarthy, SeattleU went on a 12-2 run midway through the first half. The Redhawks allowed Oregon State to keep pace with them and the score close, as the home team outrebounded SU 23-12 in the first half alone. This was attributed to the Beavers' tallying 13 offensive rebounds and scoring eight points off of second chances.
In the second half, SU's rhythm was stymied and the OSU took complete advantage of it. They outrebounded SeattleU and continued to score off of second chances and offensive rebounds. As the lead grew further and further away, the Redhawks began to get flustered and were unable to cut it down significantly. The Redhawks did outshoot Oregon State 42.5 percent to 39.0 percent on the evening, but OSU's second chances and strong rebounding efforts were what gave them the advantage and eventually the win.